Following is a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell from local residents Robert F. Waggoner Col. USAF (Ret) & Mrs Waggoner NFL fan.
Dear Mr. Goodell,
My wife and I have been NFL fans for many years. Myself from the days of Johnny Unitas and SonnyJurgensen.
Ret. Col. Robert F. Waggoner
I am a retired USAF Colonel, with 26-1/2 years service. Six and half years as a P.O.W., in North Vietnam. I would like to relate a short story about a young Naval Officer who knew what the flag meant to him.
LTJG, Michael Christensen was born and raised in rural Kentucky, enlisted in the Navy as a seaman and rose to rank of LTJG, Naval Aviator.
He and I were sharing a large prison cell in the ‘Hanoi Hilton’, with 17 other P.O.W.s during the early summer of 1972. Mike found a soiled handkerchief, washed it and began making a flag, using a needle fashioned out of bamboo. With thread from his blanket he made a crude flag.
We began pledging allegiance very early every morning before the guards came around.
However, a guard discovered us one morning and a few hours later performed a shake down inspection of our cell. They found the flag in Mike’s bed.
He was taken from our cell and was beaten severely all that afternoon and night. He was returned to our cell the following morning and was a mess. He could barely see through his swollen face and eyes.
A few days later he found another piece of white cloth and began making another flag. He knew what patriotism was all about.
Mike is no longer with us, but two of our cell mates, Senator John McCain and Congressman Sam Johnson from Texas can verify this story.
We will not be watching any NFL games until some action is taken by you and the NFLPA.
I suggest those that do not want to honor our flag, remain in their locker room (like children being punished) until the ceremony is complete.
We request this letter be sent to all franchise owners and GMs.
Sincerely,
Robert F. Waggoner Col. USAF(Ret) & Mrs Waggoner NFL fan.
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“I like people who weren’t captured.”
-Donald Trump
“I like people that agree with every stupid thing I say or try to come up with….and people that like to follow me around and kiss my but ”
donald trump
Mr. Consistency,
Thank you for reaffirming for me what the late great Frank Zappa once said:
“You know people, I may not be Black but there sure are lotsa times I wish I could say I’m not white.”
From “Trouble Every Day” on Freakout! album.
Peace to you.
I admire Mr. Waggoner and have had the prevledge of listening to him speak at the Vetnam Memorial here in Bishop . I am glad he wrote this and hope his story helps the younger generation learn more about our countries past .
I hope Mr. Waggoner will write a book on his past and present experiences.
“NFL players that choose to talk about it are stating it has nothing to do with respect for our Country and the flag”.
Wrong. It has everything to do with the respect for this country. When you kneel in protest, or shame, or for whatever grievance you have nurtured in your life as a millionaire athlete, your shoddy attempt to virtue-signal consists of flipping the bird to America’s anthem, sung in praise of America and its flag.
This letter writer has done nothing more than commit the sin of honesty,. He has called out the bird-flippers.
Sonny Jurgensen played for the Washington Redskins.
The Washington Redskins were the last NFL team to “allow” African-Americans to play football for them, in 1962.
And the Redskins integrated reluctantly – only when their owner, Confederate-sympathizer George Preston Marshall, was pressured into doing so by the Kennedy administration.
Mr. Marshall, it seems, just didn’t like Black people around and thought they were bad for business.
Perhaps there are larger issues at play here.
Bobby,the only thing in play with this here is a big mouth so-called “president” stirring the pot,trying to divide,and thinking he’s going to run the NFL like he does his annoying,scripted reality shows,never mind the fact,when the players choose to kneel,it has NOTHING to do with dis-respecting the flag.And I’m sure,for trump, also some to do with it being mostly African American players that choose to do it,seeing them as second class citizens coming from,what did trump call it,”shit countries” ?…if trump had his way,all African Americans would go back in Africa,all Mexican Americans would go back to Mexico..there would be no immigration,or even citizens from foreign countries allowed to visit America let alone live here….and as long as he’s got a weak house and senate and about 40 % of the weak people in America worshiping him like he’s some kind of God,about all the rest of us can really do is laugh about it,since everything he says he’s going to do never happens anyway….
…A touchy subject here,and can definatally understand how Veterans and Military families are bothered by the kneeling during the National Anthem….but also have to realize some of the NFL players that choose to talk about it are stating it has nothing to do with respect for our Country and the flag….to me,the bigger problem,and I think why it’s being done by many is the lack of respect for the POTUS….the Championship teams and most players,both the NFL and NBA(and I’m betting on soon,the MLB) chose not to visit the White House after their victories,not because lack of respect for the U.S.of A. or the flag…it’s because lack of respect for whos sitting in the Oval Office and what he’s said and done and trying to do,without much success,except for dividing the Country with his big mouth…what I have trouble understanding is why not all the outcry earlier from Veterans and former POW”S when trump was insulting Senator John McCain about his time in the POW camp,saying McCain was not a hero “because he got caught”..or the way he was insulting the Gold Star family,the Kahns,after they lost their Son,I think in Afganistan …coming from someone,a billionaire reality T.V. star, that dodged and weaved and got out of anytype of Military service more than a few times during the Vietnam war…back in 1972 I enlisted in the USAF…..in 1971 my Brother was killed while serving in the USMC….speaking for myself and my family,I’m more bothered by that,things said and coming from a so called POTUS than I am anything coming from a bunch of probably spoiled sports-stars trying to make a point and taking a stand against anything.
So called President of the United States? Really?
I was never a fan of President Obama’s policies nor his fundamental political philosophy but he was my President regardless of that those differences. I respected him as the President and I respected, and still respect, the office of President irrespective of who occupies that office or their personal political leanings.
I find your letter a huge disservice to your brother’s memory. God bless his memory, and his service to the GREAT country and God bless these United States.
Steve,I highly doubt my Brother would’ve had much respect,if any, for trump,and for the life of me can’t figure out how ANYONE with a Military background,whether a Military Veteran or currently serving in the Armed Forces can have any respect for, not only a draft dodger,but someone that disrespects Veterans and REAL war heros like John McCain was..there was a time not too long ago,if someone running for president mocked and belittled a former POW and/or a Gold Star family during his campaign,with that alone,not only would he not get elected to anytype of office he was seeking,but a good chance someone would come along and kick his butt for doing it..certainly not 40 % of the population or so standing up,cheering and worshiping what he was saying…and let’s not forget the time ,on his 2016 campaign trail again,trump,a reality show star with a sleazy,creepy,self-serving past,stating he was “smarter than the Generals” in the Armed Forces…and again, being cheered by his worshipers for saying that too…so nope,I have NO respect for trump…or many of his cult followers and worshipers…respect is EARNED, not just given to someone simply because 47 % of America’s population and the electoral collage put him where he’s at today.